David Cameron And Tax – It’s No Joke
OK, here’s the thing. When you have a prime minister of this country that is prepared to single out one (yes, just one) citizen for the way he conducts his quite legal and private, personal tax affairs – and sets up that one individual to be the whipping boy for everything that might be wrong with our current taxation laws and then uses that individual’s public profile as a political pawn to suit his own shallow political purpose – then you know you are dealing with a comedian. A comedian who is no laughing matter.
The joke is not funny. It is not even a taste in bad jokes or a joke in bad taste. It is very much more of a serious situation than that. It shows the true calibre and colour of our country’s prime minister and the party that elected him into that office. Such behaviour exposes the man’s ruthless and chilling political ambition. David Cameron, like many politicians, can be unbelievably stupid. Some are more stupid than others. But such a crass, immature, ill-advised and quite cynical abuse of the PM’s office in the Jimmy Carr affair is stunningly unforgivable.
The manner in which David Cameron recently targeted the tax affairs of the comedian Jimmy Carr as an example of how the country needs to clamp down on aggressive tax avoidance schemes was truly a national disgrace of the first magnitude. It was a grotesque and very ugly piece of populist political posturing. Political pandering to the people who say; “ Look matey, I’m a bloody good socialist – I’ve got nothing, but, I do so want to share that ‘nothing’ that I do have with you. And, if you’ve got ouwt –then thee’d better bloody share that with me. ” You get the drift.
And no! I’m not some raging, uncaring capitalist Tory before all you bitter and twisted leftists scream your thunder at me as they did at Jimmy Carr as he tried to carry on his business of performing comic gigs after being publicly ridiculed by the prime minister. Indeed, as I’ve grown older, I have come to truly despise the political class of all colours, creeds, shapes and sizes. The only politician I might have considered once giving my vote – due to his understandable point of view, was perhaps Guy Fawkes. But, being someone who deplores all types of violence whatever its form – then not even Guido would have, in the end, commanded my vote.
Of course, I have enormous respect for a few noteworthy historical political figures: Pitt the Younger, Peel, Gladstone, Asquith, Lloyd George, Churchill, Attlee, Macmillan, Crosland, Benn, even Thatcher had some redeeming, typically British qualities. But, in Maggie’s case, I’m afraid, I can never forgive her for so brutally destroying northern coal mining communities together with obliterating our country’s essential manufacturing base. Latterly, of course, the quality of the character of those who seek political office in our country is nowadays a truly lamentable proposition.
Now, back to taxation matters and silly boy, David Cameron. It goes without saying that virtually every single one of us I’m sure wants to bring a stop to criminal tax evasion. That is obvious. We would all support and welcome the authorities robustly pursuing with all the powers they have at their disposal every criminal tax dodger. Bringing these criminals to justice – with a large dose of delight and satisfaction – is to be heartily welcomed. Of course. But, under current law, tax avoidance is perfectly legal whereas tax evasion is absolutely illegal and the two concepts are often confused or even lumped together in some mixed-up notion of guilt by association of those that chose to employ legitimate tax efficient schemes of tax mitigation as in the manner of Jimmy Carr.
The PM, with all the human sensitivity of a man roasting a baby over a hot spit in the local market square, got his wires crossed at a very serious and explosive level in the case of Jimmy Carr. Tax avoidance is not a crime. Therefore, for individuals who seek to properly utilise such tax shelters that are available under the law to efficiently manage their tax affairs to their own advantage as opposed to the advantage of the tax collector – is perfectly legal and understandable.
This is all that Jimmy Carr was advised to do by his accountant’s. Nothing more. It is not immoral, as the PM claims, to minimise your tax liability if the law permits such action. Indeed, all those who engage in the sanctimonious, holier than thou moral stance over this issue are often nothing short of stinking, envious hypocrites. For I believe, such is the nature of human flaws and foibles, that given half the chance, the critics of such schemes would probable employ the same accountants advice if they were earning the sort of money that the talent of Jimmy Carr brings into his coffers. But this silly, naïve and ridiculous PM of ours together with the rest of this childish, unwise (not a grey hair on their heads), brigade of useless, career minded, shallow and uncaring politicians – will always sink to the lowest common denominator when it comes to chasing the populist vote.
Politicians you see – simply do not care what they have to do or what it takes if they think such an action might just win them a few votes. Voters that keep them worshipping at their elected golden altar that is, the game of ‘power’. It is the notion of political power and political office that is their favoured golden idol of a god. And, if their silly, crass actions result in bringing maximum public condemnation and personal embarrassment to a single citizen like the victim that was/is Jimmy Carr – then they muse – so be it – what the hell. That’s just how callas, stupid, insensitively debased most of our modern day politicians can be and, sad to say,they are just made that way.
There is absolutely no moral obligation on any one citizen to pay more tax than they are legally obliged to pay. That is a ridiculous and completely anti-intellectual argument. Politicians have grasped at that particular silly “ moralistic notion” simply to pander to the envy of the wannabe millionaires, and/or, to hide the fact that the tax laws in this country, and across the world, are simply not fit for purpose. Indeed, it seems to me, that tax laws have always been inadequate for purpose in one way or another. It always has been this way ever since Prime Minister Pitt the Younger introduced income tax in 1799 as a proposed short-term measure to raise cash to fund the Napoleonic wars. Historians among us who might now rush to their twitter sites to point out that, in fact, the very first form of income tax was the Saladin tithe introduced by Henry 11 in 1188 to raise money for the Third Crusade – will note that I prefer to stay with the direct income tax of Pitt the Younger for the purposes of making my point here – you get the general drift I’m sure.
Tax everyone above a certain income level, yes, of course. Pay more tax for the sake of tax and to help the hapless politicians spend it on their crazy whims of the day, no, certainly not. And, any one who believes differently to that fundamental concept must have a truly warped sense of the essential social contract that exists between the state and the freedoms of the individual. That is a plain and simple principle to understand.
No prime minister in history ever pilloried an individual citizen of this country in such a one-off manner as was witnessed in that dreadful Cameron-Carr ignominious affair over Mr Carr’s taxation matters. It was and is an appalling state of affairs when a PM of this once great and mighty country can sink so low as to attack one of its citizens in the manner in which the PM did over Carr. And, to boot, the PM was picking on an individual for doing absolutely nothing that is or was in any way illegal, or indeed, immoral.
They say that countries get the leaders they deserve – I’m bound ask – what the hell have we all done to end up with this, chillingly ambitious, empty, crass and completely stupid PM (despite the inter-generational life of pure privilege he has enjoyed since his birth) he is still obviously capable of behaving in such a profoundly stupid and naive manner – together with his gaggle of shallow, uncaring, and insensitive like-minded politicians? The whole thing simple beggars belief.
